British light-heavyweight Joshua Buatsi made a winning yet disappointing start to his career under new promoters with a unanimous decision over Zach Parker in the Manchester arena.
The Olympic medal winner's work rate appeared to earn him a split decision in a tight 10-round contest at the boxing arena.
But Parker had his moments, landing some telling individual punches in a match where the styles failed to mesh, with frequent clinching spoiling the action.
Two judges judged it 96-94 for to the winner, with the final judge a 95-95.
"It wasn't my greatest display but what do champions do? They prevail," Buatsi stated in the ring as he was met by boos from the audience.
The Londoner got back to winning after his maiden career setback - an memorable fight with Callum Smith in February - to claim a 20th career victory.
Some ringside observers thought the challenger, 31, merited the decision but the contender endured the second setback of his 28-fight professional journey.
Buatsi Secures Victory in Uneventful Affair
Buatsi's progress has slowed in the past few years through management issues and long spells of inactivity.
Previously predicted as the rising talent of the British fight scene, he now finds himself trying to achieve expectations - possibly in what feels like a ultimate opportunity - under new promotional backing.
He started carefully, with the two boxers willing to be aggressive in a tentative initial rounds.
The challenger, whose only previous defeat came at super middleweight against John Ryder in 2022 after damaging his hand during the bout, was competing in only his second appearance at the higher weight class.
By the fight's midpoint, Parker had kept it close, creating difficulties for the favorite, who utilized a protective stance to barely take the cleaner rounds.
The spectators' acceptance diminished amid constant clinching, with the challenger going down multiple occasions during close exchanges.
The underdog ended stronger, but many rounds were challenging to assess. Nevertheless, former world champion the boxing analyst - providing analysis for Dazn - had it significantly in favor for Parker, scoring for Buatsi just only one stanza.
Buatsi moves on, but with the presence of hard hitter David Benavidez, and Russian star Bivol ruling the division, the journey to titles - based on this performance - still seems difficult.
Ricky Hatton Homage Inspires Manchester Derby Fight
In the supporting bout, Arthur overcame Rea by split-decision in a excellent Manchester vs Manchester contest to capture the European light heavyweight championship.
The venue became quiet for a extremely emotional homage before the fight as ten bells tolled in memory of Manchester's own Hatton, who died aged 46 in last month.
It was the premier televised boxing event in the city since Hatton's death. As the final chime disappeared, the silence became a chant of "there's just one Hatton".
The fighting within the ring reflected the feeling. The eventual winner was floored by a significant blow directly to the jaw in the second round, rising shakily to his footing on the eight count.
But the traditional red attire of the fighter soon pressed ahead again. From the other corner, the opponent - in opposing blue - was marked up quickly, noticeable damage forming under his orbital area as the fighters landed punishing blows.
Rea, 27, delivered effective strikes but Arthur, thirty-four, fought fire with fire with powerful upward punches as the action hardly diminished over the full distance.
The victor narrowly won the decision with official scores of even score, close margin and clearer margin, but each competitor were determined and full of heart, exactly what their inspiration Hatton stood for.
